Health Zone : Lagos warns on Ebola virus

Following the alarming increase in the number of cases and deaths resulting from the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease(EVD) in some of the neighboring West African countries, the Lagos State Government has urged residents of the state to observe and maintain high standard of personal and environmental hygiene.

The State Commissioner of Health, Dr Jide Idris in a statement on Sunday said precautionary measures were necessary to prevent the outbreak of the disease.

Necessary measures according to the Commissioner include washing of hands often with soap and water, avoiding close contact with people who are sick and ensuring that objects used by the sick are decontaminated and properly disposed off to reduce the risk of infection.
Dr. Idris said the preventive measures are not limited to residents alone, but, health workers who he said should also be at alert.

He advised them to wear personal protective equipment, observe universal basic precautions when attending to suspected or confirmed cases, and report same to their Local Government Area or Ministry of Health immediately.

In the statement signed by the Public Relations Officer, Tubosun Ogunbawo, the commissioner said Ebola virus disease is caused by a virus which natural reservoir is not completely known, noting that fruit bats have been considered to be the natural host of the virus.

Dr Idris said the Ebola virus disease should be suspected in persons who develop bleeding from the body openings like the mouth, nose, rectum and ear; a close contact of person who is infected; or health worker who had treated either suspected or confirmed infected person.

“Early symptoms of disease include fever, headache, chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, backache, and joint pains. Later symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose, bleeding from the mouth and rectum, eye swelling, swelling of the genitals and rashes all over the body that often contain blood. It could progress to coma, shock and death,” Idris explained.